An international meeting in Beijing next Tuesday and Wednesday (17-18 January) will see government representatives, EU officials, the WHO and the World Bank pledge money to help poor countries deal with the potentially deadly bird bug.

Commissioner Kyprianou is expected to confirm large donations from both the European Commission and individual EU countries to a fund helping Asia, Africa and the Middle East tackle the problem.

The conference focuses on getting money to the least developed world regions. It follows weeks of advice on preparing Europe itself for an outbreak.

Around 70 people are estimated to have died of avian flu in Asia since 2003. No deaths have yet been reported within EU borders, but tensions are high since three children died of the virus in Turkey this month.

The UN warned on Wednesday (11 January) that the Turkish outbreak posed a threat to neighbouring countries such as Armenia and Iran.

The Austrian EU presidency however has warned against panic.

In an interview with European Voice, Austrian Health Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat agreed that more money and effort was needed to help eradicate the virus in poor countries.

She stressed however that, for now, people should remain calm: "I'm not more worried than before, although it's come nearer. The three cases, the three children dead, are dreadful, but there is no indication that the situation is worse than before."

All the evidence so far, she pointed out, showed deaths had only been among people in close contact with chickens and there was still nothing to suggest a human-to-human disease variant had developed.

The situation was made worse in Turkey, said the minister, thanks to temperatures dropping to minus 30 degrees Celsius.

The low temperatures helped the conservation of the virus, while people bringing birds into the house for warmth in poor rural areas increased their own contact with poultry.

In Europe, however, she said "hysteria" in autumn last year was now being replaced by "a more factual discussion".

The Commission on Wednesday also agreed to extend EU bird surveillance measures to the end of this year.

It committed up to 2 million euro for lab tests on EU birds and poultry in 2006.

European governments have until 7 February to get their national surveillance plans to the Commission.

25,000 wild birds have been tested for avian influenza in the European Union since October 2005 and no trace of the disease has yet been found.